How to Make Salt Glitter—the Perfect Eco-friendly Alternative to Plastic Glitter

Since plastic glitter is a no-no for recycling, let’s make salt glitter—an eco-friendly alternative. Glitter is made from tiny specks of metal or plastic that are too small to be screened out during the recycling process. This makes it a microplastic.

When glitter gets into the water system, it can be consumed by plankton, fish, and birds, which is a bad thing. Animals die from starvation when microplastics collect in their systems. And there is the potential for those microplastics to make it up the food chain and onto our plates. Yuck!!

Salt glitter is a 100% biodegradable, recyclable alternative—and it’s easy to make and use to decorate craft projects.

Here’s what you’ll need to make the salt glitter and Valentine card:

• Course (Kosher) salt
• Food coloring
• Heart Card Template
• Cardstock
• Recyclable glue
• Craft paint brush

Let’s make salt glitter:

1. Add a few drops of food coloring to the salt and stir to mix.
2. Stir the salt until it is evenly colored.
3. Spread the finished salt glitter on a plate to dry completely. Or, if you’re in a rush you can spread the salt on the bottom of an oven-safe container and bake at 350°F for 10 to 15 minutes. Allow salt to cool before using.

Here’s how to make the recyclable glue:

1. Boil 3 Tbsp. water in a sauce pan. Add 1 envelope (¼ oz.) unflavored gelatin, and stir until the gelatin is dissolved.
2. Add 1 tsp. glycerin and 1 tsp. white vinegar, and stir to mix.
3. Store your glue in a lidded glass container.

Use the glue while it is warm and liquid. As the glue cools it will set up—just like Jello!!

Rewarm the glue to re-liquify it. You can do this by placing the container of glue in a hot water bath, microwaving in five second spurts, or gently reheating with a heat gun. If you opt for the heat gun method, keep the heat gun constantly moving and not too close to the glue.

Now, let’s use the salt glitter and recyclable glue to make a Valentine card:

1. Print the Heart Card Template, then cut out the card shapes. The phrase “I love you and the Earth. I used 100% recyclable glitter on this card.” is on the back of one of the templates, while the other is blank.
2. Add your sentiment or note to the inside of the card. This is easier to do before you add decoration to the outside.
3. Paint the outside of the card with recyclable glue. You can completely cover the outside, draw a smaller heart, or draw a design of your choice.
4. Cover the wet glue with the salt glitter. Set aside until completely dry.
5. Share  your eco-friendly Valentine love!!